The Daily Brief – 16th May 2019

Former Supreme Court judge, Justice A K Sikri is appointed as the chairperson of News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA). He will succeed former Judge of Supreme Court Justice(Retd.) R.V. Raveendran, who will complete his term on May 25. NBSA is an independent body (free from any interference from NBA) for self-regulation of 24×7 news channels, who are members of NBA.

The International Day of Families is observed on 15 May every year to promote awareness of issues relating to families and also aims to increase knowledge of demographic, economic and social processes affecting them. The theme for this year is “Families and Climate Action: Focus on (Sustainable Development Goals) SDG 13”. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993.

CTBTO executive secretary Lassina Zerbo invited India to be an Observer in the meetings of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). With this move, India would have access to data from the International Monitoring System which can detect even a small nuclear explosion using technologies like seismology, hydroacoustics, infrasound and radionuclide. International Monitoring System is a network of 337 facilities – 321 monitoring stations and 16 radionuclide labs.

A species of new vine snake have been discovered in the eastern part of Odisha after a century because last discovery was made in the year 1906. Researchers named it Ahaetulla laudankiaor Laudankia vine snake against its local name is Laudankia or Laudaka. Vine snake is a slender rear-fanged snake with narrow head, and pointed snouts. Their eyes have pupils that look like horizontal keyholes.

Victor Vescovo (53 years old) broke the world record for the deepest dive in history by diving 8 miles to a point in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana trench. Vescovo set another record by becoming the first and only person who visited highest and deepest point of the world. He had climbed Mount Everest also. He found angular kind of plastic object at the bottom of Mariana Trench.

The National Green Tribunal on May 14, 2019 directed 18 States and 2 Union Territories to submit their respective action plans on utilisation of treated wastewater to reduce pressure on the groundwater resources across the country within 3 months time to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The National Green Tribunal was established in October 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.

A major global initiative ‘Christchurch call to action’ to combat terrorism and extremism online and secure the internet was launched in Paris on May 15, 2019 by India, France, New Zealand, Canada and several other countries. The initiative outlines collective, voluntary commitments from governments and online service providers intended to address the issue of terrorist and violent extremist content online and to prevent the abuse of the internet.